Loch Torridon
Encyclopedia
Loch Torridon is a sea loch on the west coast of Scotland
in the Northwest Highlands
. The loch was created by glacial processes and is in total around 15 miles (25 km) long. It has two sections: Upper Loch Torridon to landward, east of Rubha na h-Airde Ghlaise, at which point it joins Loch Sheildaig; and the main western section of Loch Torridon proper. Loch a' Chracaich and Loch Beag are small inlets on the southern shores of the outer Loch, which joins the Inner Sound
between the headlands of Rubha na Fearna to the south and Red Point to the north.
The name Thoirbhearta has a similar root to Tarbert
and indicates a place where boats were dragged overland.
Shieldaig Island has been owned by the National Trust for Scotland
since 1970. It has a coverage of Scots Pine
, which may have grown from seeds taken from Speyside
in the mid-19th century.
village lies at the head of the loch and is surrounded by the spectacular Torridon Hills
. To the north are the villages of Redpoint
, Diabaig
, Wester Alligin and Alligin Shuas. To the south is Shieldaig
.
The loch is surrounded by various mountains to the north, including Liathach
, Beinn Alligin
and Beinn Eighe
, all of which are over 3000 feet (914.4 m) in height.
The Torridon Hills exhibit some of the most dramatic mountain scenery in the British Isles
, surpassed in grandeur perhaps only by the Cuillins of Skye
. The rocks of which they are made are known as Torridonian sandstone, some of which are crowned by white Cambrian
quartzite
. They are amongst the oldest rocks in Britain, and sit on yet older rocks, Lewisian gneiss
.
and shellfish
fishery and is home to several salmon farms and industrial mussel
production.
Langoustines are fished by creels baited with herring
or prawns, which are deployed on lines of up to 120 creels and left on the seabed for at least a day. Most of the catch is exported to Spain
. The sustainable seafood certificate for Loch Torridon langoustines was suspended by the Marine Stewardship Council
on 11 January 2011, due to increased fishing pressure in the area caused by creel-fishing boats that had not signed-up to the fishery's voluntary code of conduct.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in the Northwest Highlands
Northwest Highlands
The Northwest Highlands are the northern third of Scotland that is separated from the Grampian Mountains by the Great Glen . The region comprises , Assynt, Caithness and Sutherland. The Caledonian Canal, which extends from Loch Linnhe in the west, via Loch Ness to the Moray Firth in the north...
. The loch was created by glacial processes and is in total around 15 miles (25 km) long. It has two sections: Upper Loch Torridon to landward, east of Rubha na h-Airde Ghlaise, at which point it joins Loch Sheildaig; and the main western section of Loch Torridon proper. Loch a' Chracaich and Loch Beag are small inlets on the southern shores of the outer Loch, which joins the Inner Sound
Inner Sound, Scotland
The Inner Sound is a strait separating the Inner Hebridean islands of Skye, Raasay and South Rona from the Applecross peninsula on the Scottish mainland....
between the headlands of Rubha na Fearna to the south and Red Point to the north.
The name Thoirbhearta has a similar root to Tarbert
Tarbert
Tarbert is a place name in Scotland and Ireland. Places named Tarbert are characterised by a narrow strip of land, or isthmus...
and indicates a place where boats were dragged overland.
Islands
The islets in the loch include:- in Loch Sheildaig: Eilean an Inbhire Bhàin, Eilean Dùghaill and Shieldaig Island.
- in Upper Loch Torridon: Eilean à Chaoil, Eilean Cnapach, both of which are tidal.
- in outer Loch Torridon: Eilean Mòr, Eilean Tioram, Sgeir Ghlas, Sgeir na Trian.
Shieldaig Island has been owned by the National Trust for Scotland
National Trust for Scotland
The National Trust for Scotland for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, commonly known as the National Trust for Scotland describes itself as the conservation charity that protects and promotes Scotland's natural and cultural heritage for present and future generations to...
since 1970. It has a coverage of Scots Pine
Scots Pine
Pinus sylvestris, commonly known as the Scots Pine, is a species of pine native to Europe and Asia, ranging from Scotland, Ireland and Portugal in the west, east to eastern Siberia, south to the Caucasus Mountains, and as far north as well inside the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia...
, which may have grown from seeds taken from Speyside
Strathspey, Scotland
Strathspey is the area around the strath of the River Spey, Scotland, in both the Moray council area and the Badenoch and Strathspey committee area of Highland....
in the mid-19th century.
Surrounding villages
TorridonTorridon
Torridon is a small village in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. However the name is also applied to the area surrounding the village, particularly the Torridon Hills, mountains to the north of Glen Torridon. It lies on the shore of Loch Torridon.Torridon is on the west coast of Scotland, ...
village lies at the head of the loch and is surrounded by the spectacular Torridon Hills
Torridon Hills
The Torridon Hills surround Torridon village in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. The name is usually applied to the mountains to the north of Glen Torridon...
. To the north are the villages of Redpoint
Redpoint
Redpoint is a small settlement in the north west of Highland, Scotland. It takes its name from Red Point, a low promontory to the south, which marks a turn in the coastline from facing west to south east as it becomes Loch Torridon....
, Diabaig
Lower Diabaig
Lower Diabaig is a remote coastal fishing and crofting township, overlooking the northeast corner of the sea loch, Loch Diabaig and Loch Torridon, in Wester Ross, Scottish Highlands and is in the Scottish council area of Highland....
, Wester Alligin and Alligin Shuas. To the south is Shieldaig
Shieldaig
Shieldaig is a village in Wester Ross in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland.The village was founded in 1800 with a view to training up seamen for war against Napoleon, but after his defeat and exile to Elba, the community found itself a new role as a fishing village; therefore, the small island...
.
Hills
Liathach
Liathach is one of the most famous of the Torridon Hills. It lies to the north of the A896 road, in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland, and has two peaks of Munro status: Spidean a' Choire Leith at the east of the main ridge, and Mullach an Rathain at the western end of the mountain...
, Beinn Alligin
Beinn Alligin
Beinn Alligin one of the classic mountains of the Torridon region of Scotland, lying to the north of Loch Torridon, in the Highlands. The name Beinn Alligin is from the Scottish Gaelic, meaning Jewelled Hill...
and Beinn Eighe
Beinn Eighe
Beinn Eighe is a complex mountain massif in the Torridon area of the Highlands of Scotland. It forms a long ridge with many spurs and summits, two of which are classified as Munros. The name Beinn Eighe comes from the Scottish Gaelic meaning File Mountain...
, all of which are over 3000 feet (914.4 m) in height.
The Torridon Hills exhibit some of the most dramatic mountain scenery in the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
, surpassed in grandeur perhaps only by the Cuillins of Skye
Skye
Skye or the Isle of Skye is the largest and most northerly island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate out from a mountainous centre dominated by the Cuillin hills...
. The rocks of which they are made are known as Torridonian sandstone, some of which are crowned by white Cambrian
Cambrian
The Cambrian is the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, lasting from Mya ; it is succeeded by the Ordovician. Its subdivisions, and indeed its base, are somewhat in flux. The period was established by Adam Sedgwick, who named it after Cambria, the Latin name for Wales, where Britain's...
quartzite
Quartzite
Quartzite is a hard metamorphic rock which was originally sandstone. Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tectonic compression within orogenic belts. Pure quartzite is usually white to gray, though quartzites often occur in various shades of pink...
. They are amongst the oldest rocks in Britain, and sit on yet older rocks, Lewisian gneiss
Lewisian complex
The Lewisian complex or Lewisian Gneiss is a suite of Precambrian metamorphic rocks that outcrop in the northwestern part of Scotland, forming part of the Hebridean Terrane. These rocks are of Archaean and Paleoproterozoic age, ranging from 3.0–1.7 Ga. They form the basement on which the...
.
Fishing
Loch Torridon is an important prawnPrawn
Prawns are decapod crustaceans of the sub-order Dendrobranchiata. There are 540 extant species, in seven families, and a fossil record extending back to the Devonian...
and shellfish
Shellfish
Shellfish is a culinary and fisheries term for exoskeleton-bearing aquatic invertebrates used as food, including various species of molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms. Although most kinds of shellfish are harvested from saltwater environments, some kinds are found only in freshwater...
fishery and is home to several salmon farms and industrial mussel
Mussel
The common name mussel is used for members of several families of clams or bivalvia mollusca, from saltwater and freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other edible clams, which are often more or less rounded or oval.The...
production.
Langoustines are fished by creels baited with herring
Herring
Herring is an oily fish of the genus Clupea, found in the shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans, including the Baltic Sea. Three species of Clupea are recognized. The main taxa, the Atlantic herring and the Pacific herring may each be divided into subspecies...
or prawns, which are deployed on lines of up to 120 creels and left on the seabed for at least a day. Most of the catch is exported to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. The sustainable seafood certificate for Loch Torridon langoustines was suspended by the Marine Stewardship Council
Marine Stewardship Council
The Marine Stewardship Council is an independent non-profit organization with an ecolabel and fishery certification programme. Fisheries that are assessed and meet the standard can use the MSC blue ecolabel. The MSC mission is to 'reward sustainable fishing practices’...
on 11 January 2011, due to increased fishing pressure in the area caused by creel-fishing boats that had not signed-up to the fishery's voluntary code of conduct.